Salford City Council has secured £50,000 in funding from Historic England to review all sixteen of its designated Conservation Areas. This review will result in the creation of a full suite of up-to-date Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans (CAAMPs) - marking a significant step forward in protecting the city’s historic character while supporting its continued growth.
The funding has been awarded through Historic England’s ‘Funding for Capacity Building’ programme, following a successful bid from the council’s newly established Salford Heritage Commission. Buttress’s Manchester-based Heritage Consultancy team has been appointed to carry out the work, which will be the first comprehensive review of Salford’s Conservation Areas in many years.
Salford’s Conservation Areas cover a range of neighbourhoods and landscapes across the city, each with their own unique special architectural and historic interest. Four of these areas are currently on Historic England’s ‘Heritage at Risk Register’.
The review will assess each Conservation Area to understand what makes it significant and unique, what the current and future opportunities and risk might be and whether boundaries should be adjusted or new designations considered.
For the first time, Salford will have a full set of up-to-date Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans – documents that identify, celebrate and help protect what makes Salford special to its communities. Once adopted, these will serve as robust material planning considerations for all future planning decisions, within and surrounding the Conservation Areas, whilst aligning with the city’s Local Plan. These CAAMPs will also identify the key actions needed to help protect the special interest of each area and remove the city’s at-risk areas from the national register.
A community consultation programme will launch in Summer 2026, giving residents and stakeholders the chance to shape the draft plans and share their local knowledge and experiences, prior to adoption.
Councillor Hannah Robinson-Smith, Lead Member for Culture, Heritage, Equalities, Sports and Leisure said:
“This project is an important part of our commitment to celebrating and safeguarding Salford’s heritage. By creating and updating these plans, we can make sure our historic neighbourhoods are protected for future generations while supporting sensitive and sustainable development across the city.”
Jenna Johnston, Associate at Buttress, added:
“This is a landmark project for our Heritage Consultancy team and the practice. There’s such an important task ahead to balance conserving Salford’s rich and layered heritage and protecting what makes these places so special, while still supporting the vital development and regeneration of the area. We’re looking forward to collaborating with both the Council and local communities.”
Historic England’s Naomi Kinghorn said:
“From St Augustine’s Conservation Area in Pendlebury that features a striking Grade I listed Gothic Revival church, to the fine Victorian architecture and cobbled streets of The Cliff Conservation Area in Higher Broughton, Salfordians are rightly proud of their city’s heritage. This is a wonderful opportunity to bring the plans for conserving Salford’s special historic places right up to date so we can help guide new plans for much-needed housing, jobs and other development requirements.”
Jenna Johnston
Jenna leads Buttress’ heritage consultancy team, providing clients with the resources and knowledge they need to better understand their heritage assets.
Freya Needham
Freya works with a range of clients, helping them to make informed decisions that respond appropriately to their project.
Heather Davies
Heather works within our Manchester studio, assisting the heritage consultancy team in delivering a diverse range of heritage-focused projects.